Shelburne, Vermont USA • Shelburne Farms is one of the finest examples in the nation of a late 19th - 20th Century model farm and country estate. Created for Dr. William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb, the estate is noted for its exemplary agricultural, architectural, and landscape design achievements. – National Historic Landmark plaque.

• A farm and country estate constructed from c.1886 to 1915, Shelburne Farms consists of approximately 1,300 acres of designed and agricultural landscape and significant wood-framed and masonry buildings representative of a combination of Shingle and Queen Anne styles. Four major buildings and 78 secondary buildings, structures, and sites are situated in functional groupings between broad expanses of cleared agricultural fields with rolling hills and isolated softwood plantations, hardwood and softwood forests, gardens, and rocky lakeshore. Eleven and a half miles of curvilinear interior roads and eight miles of walking trails traverse the varied farm and estate landscape, connect the resources, and provide views and vistas of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains to the west and the Green Mountains to the east. Shelburne Farms lies at elevations between approximately 95 feet and 392 feet a.m.s.l. [above mean sea level]. Lone Tree Hill, the highest point on the property, rises from the center of the property and features panoramic views over the fields and forests to the lake and mountain ranges – From the Landmark Nomination form.

Shelburne Farms was created in 1886 by Dr. William Seward Webb and Eliza Vanderbilt Webb as a model agricultural estate. They commissioned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted [and forester Gifford Pinchot,] to guide the layout of 3,800 acres (15 km2) of farm, field and forest, and New York architect Robert Henderson Robertson, to design the buildings. Shelburne Farms was incorporated as a nonprofit educational facility in 1972. Nearly 400 acres (1.6 km2) of sustainably managed woodlands received Green Certification from the Forest Stewardship Council in 1998.

The Shelburne Farms grass-based dairy supports a herd of 125 purebred, registered Brown Swiss cows. Their milk is made into an award-winning farmhouse cheddar cheese. The farm serves as an educational resource by practicing rural land use that is environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable. Visitors may enjoy the walking trails, children’s farmyard, inn, restaurant, property tours and special events. – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

☞ On August 11, 1980, this Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#80000330).

☞ On January 3, 2001, the National Park Servicedesignated this Historic District a National Historic Landmark (#80000330), making it the newest Landmark in Vermont.

National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Today, fewer than 2,500 historic places bear this national distinction. – [And one of only 17 in Vermont.] – Working with citizens throughout the nation, the National Historic Landmarks Program draws upon the expertise of National Park Service staff who work to nominate new landmarks and provide assistance to existing landmarks.

National Historic Landmarks are exceptional places. They form a common bond between all Americans. While there are many historic places across the nation, only a small number have meaning to all Americans -- these we call our National Historic Landmarks. – from the National Park Service.